Coin holder for making change



July 18,1944, P. G. CRAMPTON CO IN HOLDER FOR MAKING CHANGE Filed Dec. 12, 1942 INVYENTORY TTORNEY Patented July 18, 1944 UNITED STATES: PATENT OFFICE i OOIN HOLDER FOR MAKING CHANGE Paul G. Crampton, Arlington, N. J.

Application December 12, 1942, Serial No. 468,779

2 Claims. .(Cl. 133-11) This invention relates in general to a holder for coins, poker chips, discs or like articles, and more particularly to a coin holder to facilitate the making of change, especially by the drivers of busses.

A prime object of the invention is to provide a holder of this character that shall include one or more pockets or recesses each of which is capable of receiving and holding a plurality or a group of coins, discs or the like of difierent diameters or sizes, for example, a nickel and two dimes as change for a quarter in one pocket and a half dollar, a quarter, two dimes and a nickel as change for a dollar in another pocket, and so on, with adjacent coins in fiatwise contact with each other and with portions of the edges of the coins and faces'of the endmost coins of each group exposed and easily accessible, so that all of the coins in one pocket may be grasped simultaneously between the thumb and forefinger and removed from the pocket in one operation to permit, for example, a bus driven to provide easily and quickly the necessary change for a passenger.

Another object is to provide such a holder wherein the pockets or recesses shall be of a size and shape to receive two or more groups of coins, so that a group of coins from one pocket initially may be picked up and placed with a group of coins in another pocket and then both groups may be picked up together.

A further object is to provide such a coin holder wherein each pocket shall comprise a pair of opposed walls at least one of which is movable toward and from the other and another pair of opposed walls that are approximately perpendicular to the walls of the first pair and are extensible or contractible so that the size of the pocket may be adjusted or varied to accommodate diiferent numbers of coins.

Other objects, advantages and results of the invention will appear from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of a coin holder embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view on the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a composite perspective view of two of the wall members which comprise portions of the coin holding pockets.

Specifically describing the illustrated embodiment of the invention the coin holder includes a base or support A which in the present instance constitutes a metal plate. Suitable means such as rods 1 are connected to the plate for the purpose of mounting the plate on for example the dashboard or some other convenient portion of a bus, trolley car or the like.

Mounted on the base A are a plurality of coin holding pockets. More particularly each coin holding pocket is shown as comprising a block B of wood or the like which'is secured to the top of the base A, each of opposite ends 2 of which serves as one wall of a pocket. Each pocket also comprises another wall 3 which is in opposed relation to and movable toward and from one end of the block. 'As shown, this wall is formed of metal and has an integral guide tongue 4 which is slidable in a guide groove 5 formed in the bottom surface of the block B, so that said tongue 4 is slidably mounted in, a guideway between the block and the base A. With this construction it will be observed that the tongue 4 serves as the bottom of the pocket.

Each pocket also includesanother pair of walls that are approximately perpendicular to the walls 2 and 3 and are extensible and contractible as the wall 3 moves away from and toward the wall 2, respectively. 7

As shown the walls of said second pair comprise elastic members 6, such as sections of rubber band, that are connected to and between the block 2 and the wall 3. With this construction, the wall -3 normally is actuated yieldingly toward the wall 2 so that coins or other disc-like objects C may be clamped between the walls 2 and 3. It will be also observed that with this construction the wall 3 may be moved difi'erent distances from the wall 2 so as to accommodate different numbers of coins or discs.

As shown, there is a pocket at each of opposite ends 2 of the block B in alinement with the other transversely of the block, and the tongue 4 of the wall 3 of one pocket is disposed in superposed relation to the tongue 4 of the wall 3 of the opposite pocket, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4, so as to ensure against interference of one tongue 4 with the other during movement of the walls 3.

With such an arrangement of the pockets, a single elastic band may serve for the walls 3 of both pockets, and the band may embrace both walls 3 each of which may have notches 1 in its opposite ends to receive the band; and the band may be laid in grooves 8 at the top of the block B. With this construction, the possibility of displacement of the band is reduced to the minimum. It will be observed that displacement of the walls 3 upwardly away from the block B is prevented by the tongues 4 in the grooves 5.

It is also desirable to have a plurality of pockets arranged in a row at each end 2 of the block B as shown, and of course a number of pockets may be varied to suit the particular conditions under which the coin holder is to be used.

With this construction it will be observed that one or more coins or discs C may be placed edgewise in each pocket with the coin resting on the tongue 4 of the pocket, and the coin will lie flatwise against the walls 2 and 3 of the pocket so that when the wall 3 is actuated toward the wall 2 the coin will be frictionally clamped between said walls.

The pockets are of such size and shape as to receive coins of different size,.for example, dimes, nickels, and quarters, and also to receive various numbers of coins. Preferably the walls 2 and 3 are of such height that the coins in the pockets will project beyond the top edges of the walls so that the coins can be easily grasped for removal thereof from the pockets. It will. also be observed that due to the adjustability of the walls 3, each pocket may receive coins from two or more pockets so that a group of coins from one pocket initially may be picked up and placed with a group of coins in another pocket, and then both groups may be picked up together to facilitate the making of change.

To facilitate the insertion and removal of the coins into and from the pockets the top surface of the block B preferably has a groove 9 in alinement with and leading into each pocketalong which the coin or the thumb or finger of the user of the device may be slid. With this arrangement the wall 3 of each pocket projects above the bottom surface of the groove and the coin may be slid along the groove 9 betweenvthe thumb and index finger of the user and brought into contact with the wall 3 of one of the pockets, whereupon the wall may be pushed by the coin outwardly from the wall 2 andthe coinv may be slipped edgewise into the space between the walls 2 and 3 and between the extensible walls 6. To remove the coins from a pocket it is merely necessary to grip between the thumb and, index finger the portions of the coins that areexposed above the wall 3 and the top of the blockrB It will be seen that with my invention I can arrange groups of coins of the same denominations or groups of coins of different denominations to make change for difierent amounts of money; that the coins in each group may be easily and quickly grasped between the thumb and forefinger, and various groups of coins may be combined with each other so that the making of change may be effected easily and rapidly. Also, the pockets may be of such number and size as to permit the making of change for a few or for many different amounts as desired.

While I have shown and described the invention as embodied in certain details of construction it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the structure of the coin holder may be widely modified and changed within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A coin holder comprising a block, one end of which serves as one end wall of a coin holding pocket, a second wall movable toward and from said end of said block, and means yieldingly actuating said second wall toward said end of said block sothat coins can be clamped and held between said block and said second wall, said walls being of a height less than the diameter of said coins so that the coins in said pocket will project above the top edges of said walls, said block having a surface approximately perpendicular to the plane of the first named wall and said second wall extending beyond said surface so that a coin can be slid along said surface into contact with said second wall or another coin in said pocket, and thereafter said second wall can be pushed by said coin away from the first-mentioned wall to permit dropping of said coin'into said pocket.

2. A coin holder comprisin a block, one end of which serves as one end wall of a coin holding pocket, a second wall movable toward and from said end of said block, and means yieldingly actuating said second wall toward said end of said block so that coins can be clamped and held between said block and said second wall, the top of said block having a groove leading into said pocket and said second wall projecting above the bottom of said groove so that a coin can he slid edgewise along said groove into contact with said second wall or another coin in said pocket and thereafter said second wall can be pushed by said coin away from the first-named Wall to per-'- mit dropping of the coin into said pocket, said groove providing a guide for directing a coin into said pocket.

PAUL G. CRAMPTON. 

